Shirt collar supporting attachment



Filed Dec. 19, 1952 IN VEN TOR. GEORGE A. W/EDEMER A T TORNE Y United se P SHIRT COLLAR SUPPORTING ATTACHMENT George A. Wiedemer, Akron, Ohio Application December 19, 1952, Serial No. 326,861

4 Claims. (Cl. 2132) This invention relates to an improvement in shirt collar supporting attachments. I

Heretofore, the various types of collar attachments on the market have been unsatisfactory for various reasons. For example, one type having spaced wire elements, extending downwardly from a cross-piece engaged under the knot portion of a necktie, had sharp pin-like ends for engagement in the collar material ostensibly to hold the front portions of the collar in distended unwrinkled condition. The pin-like ends, however, frequently become disengaged and left a detached element exposed in unsightly manner. Continuous insertions of the pin-like ends in the collar, moreover, weakened the fabric of the collar. Another supporting device on the market included a pair of small narrow inserts of thin, relatively stiff material, which were removably inserted in special pockets provided in the collar by the shirt manufacturers. In addition to the nuisance and expense of providing these pockets in the collars, the narrow inserts were diflicult to insert, and frequently became bent, broken or lost, to the disgust of the wearer.

One object of the present invention is to provide improved collar supporting means for holding the collar in neat unwrinkled or distended condition on the wearer, without requiring special pockets in the collar or sharp points which damage the material thereof, and which cannot be readily broken, bent or lost.

Another object of the invention is to provide collar supporting means of the character described including separate members which are easily insertable under the collar after the necktie is tied by the wearer and after the collar is turned down, and being constructed to be firmly attached in desired collar supporting position by having portions gripped between the collar and the tie at the back of the wearers neck.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawmgs.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a shirt as it would appear on a wearer with a necktie tied in place under the collar, and illustrating the relative positioning of collar supporting inserts embodying the features of the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section, on a larger scale, taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 are front views on substantially the same scale as Figure 1, of the two oppositely disposed inserts shown in dotted lines in said Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a top edge View, on an enlarged scale, of the insert shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross-section taken substantially on the line 66 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a further enlarged horizontal cross-section, taken substantially on the line 77 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary front view of the small end of a modified form of collar insert.

Referring to the drawings generally, the numerals 10 and 11 designate opposite hand collar inserts formed of 2,724,836 Patented Nov. 29, 1955 thin relatively stifi but flexible material, having an additional characteristic of being thermoplastic and therefore moldable to have given shape. One such material which is particularly suitable for this purpose is made from a synthetic resin known by the trade-mark Geon, manufactured by the B. F. Goodrich Company.

As best shown in Figures 3 and 4, the inserts 10 and 11 are elongated, and taper rearwardly from vertically straight front edges 12, 12 to rounded rear edges 13, 13, the top edges 14 being horizontally straight while the bottom edges 14a curve upwardly, for purposes to be described. The inserts may be beat formed to be of concavoconvex cross-section throughout the lengths thereof, as shown in Figure 6, but longitudinally straight as shown in Figure 5.

For releasably attaching the forward ends of the collar to the inserts 10 and 11, each may have a double adhesive strip 15 extending between its top and bottom edges, on the convex side thereof, and adjacent the wide forward end of the same. A removable layer of paper or linen may be provided on the adhesive strips 15, which are of tacky, rubber-like material, to protect the same against adhesion of foreign material until the inserts are ready for use.

In use of the improved inserts 10 and 11 on a shirt S the shirt wearer, after trying the necktie 16 and turning down collar 17 (see Figures 1 and 2), separately introduces the inserts between the collar 17 and the usual rear: wardly looped portion of the necktie, small ends first and with the convex sides outwardly, and pushes the same rearwardly until the straight front ends 12 are slightly inwardly of corresponding straight front edges 18 of the collar and the small rearward ends are just short of the rearmost portion of the collar, as shown in Figure 1. In this condition the rearmost portions of the inserts, being arched around the neck, are flattened and tightly gripped between the rear portion of the collar and the corresponding portion of said necktie loop, thereby firmly to support the inserts to have the forward portions thereof in proper relation to support the forward portions of the collar in distended or unwn'nkled condition as shown in Figure 2. Firm support of the inserts in the relationship described is further assured by engagement of the lower edge portions with corresponding portions of the shirt front, backed by the body of the shirt wearer. Adhesion or adherence of inner surface portions of the collar to the adhesive portions 15 will thereby releasably hold the collar fronts in desired degree of conformity with the arcuate shape of the inserts, as shown in Figure 2, although some individuals may prefer to have the lower corners of the collar extend outwardly as shown in chaindotted lines in said Figure 2, in which case the inserts may be provided without the adhesive portions 15.

The aforementioned gripping action on the rear portions of the inserts may be enhanced by provision of several small perforations 19 or other non-skid portions (see Figures 3 and 4). The inserts may be provided with closely spaced ventilating openings 20 over all or a substantial proportion of the entire areas thereof, as shown in Figure 8. These ventilating openings may be larger or smaller than shown depending on the spacing thereof and the requirement that the material should not be unduly weakened or have its resiliency substantially reduced.

It will be seen that the elongated inserts 10 and 11 are easily insertable to the neat collar supporting positions shown in Figures 1 and 2, after the necktie is tied and the collar is folded down, and they are easy to adjust or remove in similar manner. In fact all such operations may be performed satisfactorily without the aid of a mirror.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims. As an example, the inserts 10 and 11 may be of flexible, spr-ingy metalinsteadof plastic material.

What is claimed is:

1. A shirt collar supporting device for use as when the collar is tightly folded downwardly in neck encircling condition from the upper edge of-a neck band of the shirt to have the usual opening between the front edges of the collar, comprising a pair of separate oppositely disposed elements, each element being an elongated strip of thin, relatively stiff but flexible material and of substantial width generally less than the depth of the collar, said strip being tapered widthwise toward a rearward end thereof and thereby being insertable endwise rearwardly between the neck band and the collar from the opening at the front of the collar, each said strip being of length to extend from a point inwardly of a said front edge of the collar to a point at the tightly folded rear portion of the collar to grip the element wedgingly flexed into the curve of the collar substantially along the entire length of the element and thereby to anchor the element in supporting position againstthe inner'face of the collar, each said element having' thereon releasably adherent means adjacent to the forward end thereof for releasable adherence to the corresponding inner face portion of the collar and thereby adapted to assist retention of said end in upwardly anchored relation under the collar.

2. A shirt collar supporting device for use as when the collar is tightly folded downwardly in neck encircling condition from the upper edge of a neck band of the shirt to have the usual opening between the front edges of the collar, comprising a pair of separate oppositely disposed elements, each element being an elongated strip of thin, relatively stiff but flexible material and of substantial width generally less than the depth of the collar, said strip being tapered widthwise toward a rearward end thereof and thereby being insertable endwise rearwardly between the neck band and the collar from the opening at the front of the collar, each said strip being of length to extend from a point inwardly of a said front edge of the collar to a point at the tightly folded rear portion of the collar to grip the element wedgingly flexed into the curve of the collar and thereby to hold the element in supporting position against the inner face of the collar, said element having adhesive means adjacent the forward end thereof for releasably attaching corresponding inner portions of the collar thereto.

3. A shirt collar supporting device for use as when the collar is tightly folded downwardly in neck encircling condition from the upper edge of a neck band of the shirt to have the usual opening between the front edges of the .collar, comprising apair .of separate. oppositely disposed elements, each element being an elongated strip of thin, relatively stiff but flexible material and of substantial width generally less than the depth of the collar, said strip thereby being insertable endwise rearwardly between the neck band and the collar from the opening at the front of the collar, each said strip being of length to extend from a point inwardly of a said front edge of the collar to a point at the tightly folded rear portion of the collarto grip the element wedgingly flexed into the curve of the collar and thereby to hold the element in supporting position against the inner face of the cellar, said elements being of concavo-convex widthwise cross-section along the lengths thereof, with the convex sides outwardly to be toward the inside face of the collar, said elements having tacky adhesive portions on the outer face thereof adjacent the forward ends of the same for attaching corresponding inner portions of the collar thereto.

4. A shirt collar supporting device for use as when the collaris-tightlyfolded downwardly in neck encircling con dition from the upper edge of a neck band of the shirt to have the usual opening between the front edges of the -collar,'comprising a pair of separate oppositely disposed elements, each element being an elongated strip of thin, relatively stiff but flexible material and of substantial width generally less than the depth of the collar, said strip thereby being insertable endwise rearwardly between the neck band and the collar from the opening at the front of the collar, eachsaid strip being of length to extend from a point inwardly of a said front edge of the collar to a point at the tightly-folded rear portion of the collar to gripthe element wedgingly flexed into the curve of the collar and thereby tohold the element in supporting position against the inner face of the collar, said element having-adhesive means adjacent the forward ends thereof for releasably attaching corresponding inner portions of the collar thereto, saidelements having a plurality of skidresistant portions at least at the rearward ends thereof frictionally engageable'by surface portions of the collar and tie between-which the elements are engaged.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,510,030 Carlisle May 30, 1950 2,515,802 Sato July 18, 1950 2,587,491 Less Feb. 26, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 28,869 Netherlands Dec. 16, 1932 

